and raced it as a Super Stock GT / C stick car , featuring a 428 Cobra Jet engine with a manual transmission .
A lot had changed within the class during the decade it was parked , especially with fuel injection . Jerry felt that the former combo wasn ’ t ideal , so he switched the car to a 289 cubic-inch powerplant that came out of a 1964 Mustang , and it ’ s now anchored by a C4 transmission .
Taylor was fresh out of the Jr . Dragster ranks – still just 18 – when she began driving in Super Stock . “ I guess the biggest transition from Jrs . to a big car was performing a burnout , because with a Jr . Dragster you don ’ t have a line lock or have to shift , or have a transbrake , so all that was new ,” says Taylor , who races in Super Stock GT / QA .
Taylor made the transition look easy though , finishing seventh in the world her first year ( third in Division 9 ) right behind her great-uncle Marvin . Aside from being naturally good at it , she finds the hard-launching Mustang a blast to drive , especially when she mashes the throttle and sees beautiful blue sky for several seconds . “ It ’ s fun leaving with the wheels up in the air !” she smiles .
Taylor and her team were a fixture at all the local IHRA races , but when the sanctioning body reorganized their lineup of classes a few years ago , the Dunahoos were forced to look elsewhere if they still wanted to class race . “ We came to Rockingham in October 2017 and that was our first-ever NHRA race ,” Taylor says . “ The following winter is when IHRA did away with Stock / Super Stock , so we ’ ve been running NHRA ever since .”
Taylor has also collected a win in the Carolina Class Racers Association ( CCRA ) in recent years . “ We haven ’ t done any CCRA races in 2021 , but it was always because of a scheduling conflict ,” she says .
Taylor completely loves the rush of driving a 10-second door car in Super Stock , launching hard and recording 120 mph passes , and while she envisions herself establishing a lengthy career in the class , if someone wanted her to drive their Pro Stock or even Top Fuel dragster , she ’ s game !
She eventually met her childhood hero , Erica Enders , at a national event and shared with her the details of how the movie that depicted Enders ’ life changed hers as well . “ Erica thought that was great !”
Not only will Taylor forever remember the movie that changed the course of her life , her love of all things Disney has also followed her into adulthood . “ There ’ s an exclusive line of Disney purses made by Dooney & Bourke and I collect them . I probably own more than I want to admit , but it ’ s still not as expensive as racing !” she laughs . DI
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